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RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—E-mail marketing lists are a necessity in any real estate market for industry professionals who are serious about getting their name and message in front of as many people as possible. While building an e-mail marketing contact list will take some time and dedication on your part, the following techniques provided by Melanie Attia, product marketing manager for Campaigner will help you create a list in no time.

Do’s

1. Leverage marketing programs you already have
No one can opt in if they don’t know you have valuable information to share, so don’t forget to:
- Include a line in your email that links to the sign-up page on your website whenever you purchase or rent an email list for a campaign.
- Lead back to your website from listings you have on partner or affiliate sites.
- Bring a computer to tradeshows and ask anyone who visits your booth to sign-up for your emails.
- Keep sign-up cards by your local store’s register.
- Refer listeners to your website in your radio ads.

2. Make it easy to opt in
Once people are on your site, make it as easy as possible to opt in by having a very visible link on the home page, or other webpage(s). Signing up should take as little time as possible, so don’t ask for too much information at this point.

3. Know your target audience
When someone opts in, ask only a few questions, like company name, industry, or location. You can also include a survey in your emails to gauge interest. Understand where people are coming from so you can make adjustments in future communications or promotions. One of the best resources for helping you expand your opt in list is your existing opt in list, so be sure to take advantage of it.

4. Consider the 4 C’s
Clear. Concise. Compelling. Customer-centric. When you write an email, put yourself in the reader’s shoes and ask, “Why shouldn’t I hit the delete key right now?” Your readers are not opting in because they want to hear a sales pitch. They have a need—to save time, money, or effort, and of course to improve productivity and success. Your message must be compelling enough to convince people to sign up, valuable enough to keep them wanting more and useful enough to pass along.

5. Pass it on
“Word-of-mouth” works in the online world too, it’s called “viral marketing.” A good message will be passed along. Your next job is to make it easy to forward your email to others, who will forward it to others, and so on. If the people it’s forwarded to like what they see, they will opt in too, so include forward or subscribe instructions like a one-click “forward” link in every email you send.

Don’ts

1. Offer fabulous prizes for signing up
While this might seem like a good idea, you’ll end up with subscribers who want to win a prize, not learn useful information about your company and/or products. The prize should be the useful information you provide, so offer a newsletter, a free seminar, or more information about your products and services.

2. Deluge your subscribers with too many emails
How much is too much? It depends on your message, so set expectations. Let people know what they’re in for before they hit the ‘submit’ button. After they’ve had time to digest the information, ask a sample from your list what is the ‘right’ number of emails; they’ll let you know. Otherwise you’ll find out the hard way with an unsubscribe request.

3. Be everything to everyone
Your sign-up messaging, as well as the information in all of your emails should be focused and hit a nerve. Don’t be afraid to address audience’s needs one at a time. Hit the crucial ones first, and save the rest for later to keep them on your list and wanting more. If you’re too generic, in hopes of getting more people to opt in, you’ll end up being “nothing to everyone.”

4. Spend too much money acquiring names
An opt in list is a valuable asset and that means an investment on your part to build and maintain it. Be sure to budget appropriately and ahead of time, find the most cost-effective ways for reaching your target audience and know how much each name will cost. Keep in mind potential revenue, and lifetime value of each customer, and chose accordingly.

5. Live in a vacuum
Continually view, read and explore how other companies or organizations—from competitors and partners, to businesses in completely different industries—build their opt in lists. Most will use the same tried-and-true techniques, but you’ll spot an occasional guerilla tactic that will inspire you to try something new—it just might work for you too.

Melanie Attia is the product marketing manager for Campaigner.

For more information, visit www.campaigner.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—This week’s headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® include: a free article on maximizing profit through Facebook from NAR’s Right Tools, Right Now initiative; travel deals from NAR’s REALTOR Benefits® Program Partners; and promotional materials are now available for REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month.

Right Tools, Right Now – No-Cost Article on Maximizing Profit through Facebook
Thanks to the Right Tools, Right Now initiative, you can learn to direct your advertising only to the people who want it, thus maximizing your marketing dollars. This free article reveals how you can promote yourself effectively and inexpensively with Facebook. Don’t miss your chance to access hundreds of FREE and AT-COST products and resources—initiative ends after 2010.

Travel Deals from Partners in NAR’s REALTOR Benefits® Program
Planning holiday, business or leisure travel? Help reduce your costs by taking advantage of the REALTOR Benefits® Program. Check out Avis, Budget and Hertz for special rates, discounts and value-added offers on car rentals. Limited-time special offers are offered throughout the year. Get ready to travel in style!

Promotional Materials Available for REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month!
In today’s changing market, it is more important than ever to remind your agents of the importance of continuing education, and encourage them to start or complete an official NAR designation or certification. Plan now to promote November as REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month to your agents, visit www.realtor.org/DesignationAwarenessMonth for a customizable press release, access to the new ‘Education & Resources Guide,’ and online banner ads. The new ‘Education & Resource Guide’ is available as a free eProduct or in packs of 50 at cost.

For more information, visit www.REALTOR.org.

To see last week’s NAR Pulse, click here.

RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—With a number of real estate markets still reeling in the midst of the nation’s economic crisis, bargains persist for savvy investors looking to add to their portfolios of rental properties. Prices have even gone low enough in some markets for so-called flippers to purchase, rehabilitate and resell properties in the short term.

“As the national economy continues to laboriously work its way back to prosperity in an uncertain future, the dynamics of local real estate markets continue to offer opportunities for investors to purchase properties at exceptional discounts,” said James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. “The old saying that there’s no better time than the present has never been truer than it is today.”

Based on data from RealtyTrac, National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and compiled by RealtyTrac, a number of the nation’s metro areas stand out due to available discounts on purchasing distressed properties and other factors. The five listed below in particular were selected because they offer an average sales price discount of at least 35% on foreclosure purchases, positive year-over-year growth in median home prices and relatively low unemployment rates compared to state and national averages.

1. Memphis, TN
Consisting of Fayette, Shelby and Tipton counties in Tennessee, along with adjacent Crittenden County, Arkansas, and De Soto, Marshall, Tate and Tunica counties in Missouri, the Memphis metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had an estimated population of 1.3 million people as of July 2009, according to the U.S. Census bureau.

More than 3,000 properties sold in the MSA during the first quarter of 2010, with 37% of those being foreclosure properties, selling at an average discount of nearly 53%, according to RealtyTrac.

On a year-over-year basis, unemployment was up one point in March to slightly above the national average at 10.6%, according to the BLS. Despite the unemployment numbers, however, home prices increased 18.5%, with the average foreclosure selling for $72,904 during the quarter.

2. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties make up this metropolitan area, home to an estimated 1.56 million people in 2009.

In total, more than 2,200 properties sold during the quarter, with 22% of those being foreclosure properties selling at an average savings of nearly 48%. The March unemployment rate was below the national average at 9.8%, a slight uptick of less than one point from March 2009.

Metro home prices rose during the quarter by 6.8% from the previous year, with the average foreclosure property selling for $89,839 during the first quarter.

3. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
Erie and Niagara counties make up this MSA, which more than 1.1 million people called home in 2009.

Although only 8% of the MSA’s total 800 properties sold were foreclosures during the first quarter, they sold at a discount of more than 47%. Unemployment in the MSA was well below the national average at 8.6% in March, a slight downturn from a year ago.

Another positive factor was the metro’s median home price, which rose 7.5% during the quarter from the previous year. Foreclosure properties there sold during the quarter for an average price of $57,191.

4. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH
One of the poster children for what went wrong when the real estate market crashed and foreclosures took off in 2007, Cleveland and its surrounding area is making a comeback of sorts.

“Ohio is a good area. A very high-tech environment and strong education and university system,” said Dr. Jay Butler, director of Realty Studies, Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness at Arizona State University.

Home to an estimated 2.1 million people in 2009, the Cleveland MSA is made up of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties.

Almost 1,000 properties sold during the first quarter, 26% of which were foreclosures selling at an average discount of more than 45%. Unemployment was virtually on par with the national average in March at 9.8%, up marginally from the same month last year.

“I think a lot of people get down on places like Cleveland and Detroit,” Butler said. “They’re overlooking those places. The focus has been on Detroit, but the rest of Michigan is in pretty good shape. Also Mississippi and Georgia, where plants got shuttered, they are now opening. The auto industry is bouncing back.”

Home prices were the big story in Cleveland during the first quarter of the year as they grew 53.8% from the first quarter of 2009. The average foreclosure property sold for $71,438 during the quarter.

“If you want to buy and hold for cash flow, then the Midwest—Cleveland, etc.—is the place you can buy for $30,000,” said Phyllis Rockower, founder and president of the Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles.

5. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
With 4.3 million residents, this metro area has high California prices, but with big enough discounts to justify serious consideration from investors looking for an in-demand market with rock-solid long term prospects.

A good portion of Northern California comprises this metro area, consisting of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties, some of which are “rebounding pretty well,” according to James Gaines, research economist for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

Forty-five percent of all first quarter home sales in the metro area were foreclosure properties. Selling at a discount of 41%, the average foreclosure sold for $327,262.

“When I first started teaching five years ago I did a lot of workshops in California,” said real estate investor and trainer Andy Heller. “Of the active investors living in California, I would estimate that 70 percent were investing out of state. I’ve been doing a lot of workshops in California the last year, and I would estimate that now the active investors have totally flipped. Now they’re investing in-state. They didn’t before because they felt the numbers couldn’t work. Now they do.”

Like all of California, unemployment was up in March in San Francisco, where joblessness was up almost two points from March 2009 to 11%. However, the median home price rose substantially, up 28.9% from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010.

For more information, visit www.realtytrac.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—With hyperlocal marketing, I would expect you to want to dominate your market, right? The three most important factors to real estate market domination are:

1. Laser focus on your target market area
2. A marketing plan that addresses both online and offline
3. The budget to support development and management operations for a minimum of six months

Targeting a market area is not limited to a subdivision or town boundaries, but can also be based on target types of property, such as luxury, short sales or waterfront, or groups, such as an association, as long as the customer opportunities support the investment.

You will need to know a minimum of the following for each target contact: Their first name, last name, current address and phone number (if it is available). But what you really want is an e-mail address. That is the gold in this plan. In fact, that is the number one question I received via e-mail regarding the last two articles.

Gathering e-mail addresses takes a good system and patience. A four-part system we use is:
1. Send direct mail to all every 30-45 days with a call to action for something important.
2. Call with a follow-up to direct mail and provide an offer.
3. Walk your farm—yes, knock on doors and leave door notes.
4. Host a community event and attend community events.

Next is your online and offline marketing plan. Online marketing should include a hyperlocal interactive hybrid website/blog platform with integrated lead capture and Internet TV channel, a content/blogging activity plan, an SEO strategy, a social networking management plan, securing the most valuable content sources and three-dimensional tracking analytic reports. Do you remember the virtual news studio I outlined in last month’s article? Here is where it will come to life.

Your offline plan is key for driving local consumers and businesses to your website and should include sending a direct mail piece every 30-45 days. Create compelling postcards and/or personal letters, door notes, press release(s), print advertisements and local networking memberships. Always promote the value of your information and what they get online at your hyperlocal site.

The key to market domination is to be recognized as the thought leader on how to increase the value of the homes in the community. This needs to be your mission.

Last, but certainly not least, is your development and management budget. This is largely dependent on the size of the area you are targeting and the types of marketing methods you select. There is no one-size-fits-all formula here. This is precisely what we do for our customers at 1parkplace. The key here is to keep it bite-sized and work your way up. Don’t take on more areas than you can afford to maintain and market to for a minimum of six months.

By implementing the steps above, San Diego agent Gregg Neuman singlehandedly increased his market domination share from 2% to 11% in only three years for the 92101 zip code.

Learn everything about real estate market domination and hyperlocal real estate marketing later this year at an event to be held November 30 – December 2 at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. Visit www.1parkplace.com/dominate for more information.

As CEO of 1parkplace, Inc. and the 1parkplace University, Steve Hundley’s passion is to lead the development of the most cutting-edge social media and real estate marketing technology solutions for America’s top Realtors and brokers. Hundley recently formed the 1parkplace University where he has hosted exclusive training events with industry leaders like Tom Ferry, Steve Rodgers and Allan Dalton.

For more information, visit www.1parkplace.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—With existing U.S. home sales diving to 15-year lows and millions of homes stagnant on the market, home sellers are suffering increasing anxiety, uncertainty and financial stress. To address these symptoms, motivational author Joan Gale Frank has published Home Seller’s Blues (And How To Beat Them).

“This is the first book of its kind to cheer people on and up when their home isn’t selling,” says Frank, a long-time real estate investor domestically and abroad. “It also provides hundreds of practical tips on how to sell a home faster using buyer/seller psychology.”

When her own Arizona home didn’t sell for a year, Frank gathered extensive home selling advice from top real estate experts, home stagers, landscape artists, psychologists and marketing whizzes. Her research paid off. Frank said, “I was able to pinpoint potential buyers and appeal directly to them, which helped sell my house faster. I also discovered how to be happy instead of miserable while waiting for a buyer.”

Home Seller’s Blues was created to share Frank’s findings with other frustrated home sellers. It features comprehensive home selling tips, including quick, inexpensive ways to make a house memorable, attracting more buyers, finding the best Realtor, win/win pricing, easy ways to get a house ready to show in minutes and identifying little problems that cause home rejection.

Several chapters of the book are dedicated to overcoming negative emotions ranging from fear and frustration to insomnia and helplessness. The book also emphasizes how to enjoy life during the entire home selling experience. “Ms. Frank’s insights into the emotions, psychology and real estate strategies of home selling are right on,” says Alexis Halmy, a Portland, Oregon Realtor.

Home Seller’s Blues is available for $9.99 at the Apple iBookstore, on Amazon’s Kindle, and at http://www.homesellersblues.com. Frank also provides inspiration and often humorous home selling advice on her blog, http://www.housesellingblues.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—It’s hard to think about enjoying a cozy fire when the temps outside are still sizzling. But September through November is a peak real estate sales timeframe and your clients want inviting spaces for holiday entertaining. Suggest this economical tile project from Lowe’s Creative Ideas for Home and Garden® to turn an ordinary fireplace into a beautiful focal point.

Slate Surround
Dress up a plain fireplace with a mix of slate and porcelain.

Mosaics have been used for centuries to add texture and interest to surfaces. Here, this ancient art gets a new twist by mixing large porcelain tile with subway slate in a fresh pattern. Originally covered with plain brick, this fireplace is now a fabulous focal point.

Make It Yours
1. Apply a thin-set mortar with polymer over the brick with a flat trowel, forcing the mortar into all the brick grout joints to create a smooth, flat surface without any seams. Allow the first coat to dry for at least 24 hours.
2. Apply a second coat of the mortar with a notched trowel. Set the tiles into the mortar. We chose neutral-colored large tiles and combined them with earthy multicolored subway slate tiles. Allow mortar to dry.
3. Apply grout with a rubber grout float, and wipe away excess with a damp sponge. Allow to dry.
4. Apply a tile sealer/enhancer to the slate and grout with a sealer applicator.

This article is adapted from Lowe’s Creative Ideas for Home and Garden®, May/June 2010 issue.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

RISMEDIA, September 1, 2010—The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties dropped to a seasonally adjusted rate of 9.85% of all loans outstanding as of the end of the second quarter of 2010, a decrease of 21 basis points from the first quarter of 2010, and an increase of 61 basis points from one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate increased two basis points to 9.40% this quarter from 9.38% last quarter.

The percentage of loans on which foreclosure actions were started during the second quarter was 1.11%, down 12 basis points from last quarter and down 25 basis points from one year ago.

The delinquency rate includes loans that are at least one payment past due but does not include loans in the process of foreclosure. The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the second quarter was 4.57%, a decrease of six basis points from the first quarter of 2010, but an increase of 27 basis points from one year ago.

The combined percentage of loans in foreclosure or at least one payment past due was 13.97% on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, a four basis point decline from 14.01% last quarter.

The seriously delinquency rate, the percentage of loans that are 90 days or more past due or in the process of foreclosure, was 9.11%, a decrease of 43 basis points from last quarter, but an increase of 114 basis points from the second quarter of last year.

Reversal of recent trends
“These latest delinquency numbers contain a mixture of somewhat good news and somewhat bad news. The good news is that foreclosure starts are down and the inventory of homes anywhere in the process of foreclosure fell for the first time since 2006 and had the largest drop since 2005. Loans 90 days or more past due, the largest share of delinquent loans, also fell. The fact that both the 90+ delinquency rate fell and the foreclosure start rate fell means that a significant number of these seriously delinquent loans have been successfully modified and reclassified as performing, current loans,” said Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s chief economist.

“The disappointing news is that, after declining since the beginning of 2009, the rate of short-term delinquencies is going up and the increase in these short-term delinquencies may ultimately drive the foreclosure measures back up. The percent of loans one payment behind had peaked in the first quarter of 2009 at 3.77% and fell to 3.31% by the end of 2009. Unfortunately that rate has now risen to 3.51%. The causes are likely two-fold. First, 30-day delinquencies are very closely tied to first-time claims for unemployment insurance. The number of first-time claims fell through most of 2009 but leveled off in 2010 and have started to rise again. This increase in unemployment directly impacts mortgage delinquencies. Second, some percentage of the loans modified over the last several years have become delinquent again because those borrowers, by definition, have weak credit.

“Ultimately the housing story, whether it is delinquencies, home sales or housing starts, is an employment story. Only when we see a consistent increase in employment will we see an increase in sales and starts, and a sustained improvement in the delinquency numbers. Until we see the increase in the number of households that comes with an increase in the number of paychecks, all measures of the health of the housing industry will continue to be weak,” Brinkmann said.

Change from first quarter 2010
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the overall delinquency rate decreased, driven by decreases in the rate for fixed rate loans and VA loans. ARM and FHA loans saw increases this quarter. The seasonally adjusted delinquency rate stood at 5.98% for prime fixed loans, 13.75% for prime ARM loans, 25.19% for subprime fixed loans, 29.50% for subprime ARM loans, 13.29% for FHA loans and 7.79% for VA loans.

The non-seasonally adjusted foreclosure starts rate decreased for all loan types with the exception of prime fixed loans. The foreclosure starts rate increased two basis points for prime fixed loans to 0.71%, which ties the survey’s record high for the prime fixed category, last seen in the third quarter of 2009. Prime fixed loans make up the majority of loans outstanding in the market, with an estimated share of 63%. The foreclosure starts rate decreased 33 basis points for prime ARM loans to 1.96%, 34 basis points for subprime fixed loans to 2.30%, 93 basis points for subprime ARM loans to 3.39%, 44 basis points for FHA loans to 1.02% and 19 basis points for VA loans to 0.70%.

Change from second quarter 2009
Given the challenges in interpreting the true seasonal effects in these data when comparing quarter to quarter changes, it is important to highlight the year-over-year changes. The non-seasonally adjusted delinquency rate increased 71 basis points for prime fixed loans, 149 basis points for prime ARM loans, 141 basis points for subprime fixed loans and 197 basis points for subprime ARM loans from the second quarter of 2009. The delinquency rate was 107 basis points lower for FHA loans and 29 basis points lower for VA loans relative to the same quarter a year ago.

The non-seasonally adjusted foreclosure starts rate increased four basis points for prime fixed loans and two basis points for VA loans from a year ago. The starts rate decreased 78 basis points for prime ARM loans, 53 basis points for subprime fixed loans, 213 basis points for subprime ARM loans and 13 basis points for FHA loans on a year-over-year basis.

Eleven states saw increases in the rate of foreclosure starts on a year-over-year basis, with the largest increases coming in Illinois, South Dakota and New Mexico. The largest decreases were in California, Florida, and Nevada.

For more information, visit www.mortgagebankers.org.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.